How Would You Deal With Knowing You Were Bound to Catch the Plague?

If I were a citizen of Oran during the time of the plague and I knew it was inevitable for me to catch it I would feel very depressed. I would feel like I was just sitting around waiting for my death every day, and that’s no way to live. I probably wouldn’t have any motivation to do anything since there wouldn’t be much of a reason to anymore; I’d probably be dead in a couple days. I guess it’s not a good attitude to have to just wait around to die, but it would be hard to feel like doing anything else. Most people probably wouldn’t actually feel like making the most out of the little bit of time they had left to live if they knew they were so close to death. That’s why it’s better to not know when you’ll die. Knowing that your death is so near is very discouraging. Many people would be likely to do horrible things if they knew they were almost going to die, since it wouldn’t matter anymore. Others would just become depressed and not do anything, or just spend some time with loved ones. But in the case of the plague, it wasn’t even easy to be around your loved ones. So many families were separated due to the lockdown of the town. If you happened to be out of town before the lockdown you weren’t allowed back in, and if you were already in you weren’t allowed out. The characters in the story are facing a horrible situation and if I were there I would not be able to cope well.

Why Do People Ignore Obvious Tragedies?

People ignore obvious tragedies for many reasons. Some people just don't want to face the truth. They feel like if they ignore the problem, it will magically go away and they won't have to deal with it anymore. They can't cope with the issue and they need to repress it so they can get on with their lives. This of course, is not a healthy way of dealing with tragedy. Ignoring something does not make it go away. People don't want to let certain problems they have interfere with their lives. This is why the characters in The Plague are so hesitant to refer to the illness as a plague. The word "plague" sounds so deadly and serious, which is why they want to ignore the warnings. They don't want to have to change their lives to accommodate for this dilemma. As they will soon find out, being in denial will not solve anything. It will only put them at a disadvantage and make them less prepared to deal with the problem at hand. It's easier to ignore something than it is to come up with a solution, but that only works temporarily. In the long run, not facing tragedies will only make them harder to deal with later.

Open Letter to Parents

One of the most important things a parent can do is to be able to communicate with their children. Parents need to be able to tell when their child is acting different and know how to approach them to find out what's bothering them so they can help. However, the child has to be open to sharing their feelings as well. This is why it's very important for parents to be very sociable and open with their children from when they're very young. If they don't grow up feeling comfortable talking to their parents, they won't learn that on their own. They need to feel that their parents care about what they have to say in order for them to want to tell their parents. Parents need to take a real interest in their children's lives so they feel like they can tell their parents anything. It's important, even when they're very young, to ask them how school was or take an interest in who their friends are. When the child is upset about something, even if it's small and not significant, the parents should comfort the child and tell him or her that it will be okay. Children need advice from their parents throughout their entire lives, from the small things to big life changing decisions. Parents, of course, aren't perfect and won't always have the right answer or give the right advice, but the child needs to know that they can rely on them to try their best to help in any situation. If a child doesn't feel like he or she can go to their parents for anything, they will find someone else to look to, and many times that person will not be a good role model. Communication is the key to a healthy relationship. Parents need to make themselves available whenever their child needs them. They will bond and build a lot of trust for each other.

Civic Duties

A civic duty that everyone should follow is to be respectful of others, whether it be your family, friends, or complete strangers. Every day I am witness people being disrespectful to others and it bothers me that that is acceptable in our society. Nobody seems to have manners anymore. The lack of respect in our society is most evident on the CTA, which is why I hate taking it so much. I take the Ashland bus everyday to and from school and I believe the passengers of that bus are some of the rudest people in the world. For starters, everyone always pushes each other to get on first. It makes me especially angry when students push past elderly people to get on. There's no consideration that the elderly need the seats more than they do. Another problem that I have with people of the CTA is that so many of them put their belongings on the seat next to them so others can't sit down. If the train or bus is empty then fine, no need to put your stuff on the dirty floor. But if it isn't (which it rarely is) then have the decency to put your bag on your lap so someone else can sit down. I don't understand how people can be so ignorant to others and not let it bother them. I could never do that. I always give up my seat to an elder if i have to and I never leave my stuff on the seat next to me. It's common courtesy, something people nowadays seem to know nothing about.

Is Poverty a Choice?

While I don’t believe this applies to everyone, I know many people do choose to live in poverty. It sounds ridiculous that someone would want to live poorly, but the people who choose to live in poverty do it because to them, it’s the easiest thing to do. They don’t have to work to get money; the government gives it to them in the form of food stamps or LINK cards. Many of these people even get free cell phones or reduced internet and cable costs. Of course I believe that those who are less fortunate than us deserve to be helped, but I have a problem with that when they aren’t trying to get a job or doing anything to get out of poverty. Many of these people feel entitled to the same things wealthier people have even if they can’t afford it. If you’re poor for whatever reason, it’s not necessary to have cable TV, internet, or cell phones. Knowing that they can get this stuff for cheaper or free if they’re poor makes them not want to work for it. Why would you want to work for something that you could get for free? Many people are comfortable with a life of poverty because they know everything they need will be provided for them without them having to work for it.

Then there are the people who live in poverty due to unfortunate circumstances and try to get out. Many people don’t want to rely on government assistance to survive. They want to go out and make their own money to support their families and themselves but can’t. They may not be able to find a job at all due to the horrible economy, or they might have to take a very low paying job that’s just not enough but that’s all they can find. I respect these people who try their best to make it out of poverty and strive for something better. But I think these people are less common that those who just accept it because it’s easier to rely on someone else. It’s unfortunate that poverty exists, but too many people are not trying to get out of it. If everyone tried their best to overcome the bad circumstances, poverty would definitely decrease over time.

Malcolm X

A part of The Autobiography of Malcolm X that I would like to comment on, and I know a lot of people have very strong feelings towards this particular part of the novel, is the part where Malcolm describes the process in which white people were created. This theory, told to Malcolm’s sister by Elijah Muhammad, states that a scientist named Mr. Yacub who was dissatisfied with his life, created the “white race of devils” to get revenge on the black race because he was bitter towards Allah. He stated that black people have two genes, one brown and one black. The brown gene is recessive and thus is overpowered by the black gene. Yacub decided that to make this white race, people of brown skin could marry either brown or black skinned people, but black skinned people could not marry other blacks in order for the race to gradually get lighter. Any black babies were killed, and the lighter ones were taken great care of. After 800 years, the white race was achieved. Muhammad then stated that this “devil race” turned “a peaceful heaven on earth into a hell”.

I, along with others I’m sure, was offended by this passage. I think it’s completely wrong to say that because certain white people treated blacks badly in the past, that the whole race is considered to be devils. Sure, the ones who owned slaves did devilish things and were not at all good people, but that doesn’t mean the whole race is bad. Many whites supported equal rights for blacks, and it seems as though Malcolm X didn’t even care about that. I know that the majority of black people didn’t believe this theory and would find it just as ridiculous and offensive as white people would today, but by Malcolm X supporting things like this doesn’t make him any better than the white racists. He’s trying to fight racism with more racism and that is not the answer. That will only make problems worse and cause more separation. When there’s an issue such as this, the best thing to do is what MLK Jr. did-fight for your rights and protest. More hate doesn’t solve anything, it causes more separation. It’s a good thing MLK’s tactics are what made the country change and not Malcolm X’s.

King still king?

Martin Luther King Jr. had a huge impact on society during the time he was alive and continues to have an impact on society today. Everything he did to make our country more equal for everyone is still seen today, meaning his message was never forgotten or discarded. We now live in a society where people of all different races can go to school together and interact together thanks to him. Without him, who knows where we would be as a society. Martin Luther King Jr. was respected by people of all races which led to his success. His primary goal was for blacks and whites to coexist in society but he ultimately fought for equality for everyone. There is still a lot of work to be done though. He created the foundation and made huge improvements but even today society does not see everyone as equal. So many things in life, such as schooling and scholarships, consider your race when you apply. That is not fair. What you're able to do in life should not be based on your race but on how hard you work to be successful. Hopefully one day race won't matter at all and we will live in a society where opportunities will be equally available to everyone. Today there is no one who compares to Martin Luther Kind Jr. His legacy still lives on and no one has yet made as much change for equal rights as he did. The job is still there and more work needs to be done so hopefully one day his position will be filled by someone who can complete his dream.